Connecticut recently received a $5,189,407 federal grant from the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration.
"It's a way to upgrade a lot of customer service functions that we are now doing as part of our unemployment system," said Nancy Steffen, a spokeswoman for the Department of Labor.
Connecticut initially applied for eleven grants under a supplemental budget request program.
"Out of the 11, we received ten," said Steffen.
The Department of Labor applied for the grant on Sept. 2. As of now, they have received the lump sum, but have yet to receive a complete breakdown of these funds.
"It [the federal government's response] was quick because the projects were very specific," Steffen said.
"They knew what they were looking for and they wanted to make sure that the states had solid plans in place."
This money will primarily be used over an extended period of time to create a sustainable unemployment system.
Most of this money will be used to upgrade software.
"I know that the money will be used in order to help upgrade technology that will in the long run improve customer service," said Steffen.
Upgrading anti-identity theft software, providing digital recording for appeal hearings so that residents may more easily appeal their initial hearing and improving the voice-activated prompts that respond to callers at the Department of Labor are just a few of the several projects that will be funded by this grant.
Connecticut received more money under this program than any other state in New England - New Hampshire only received $73,000. Georgia received $8.8 million, the most awarded to any one state.
State unemployment programs have been strained by the massive influx of new claims that have been filed since the beginning of the recession. Connecticut hopes to use these grants to supplement their plans to improve the unemployment system.
"Right now what we're doing in conjunction with these customer service upgrades is we are modernizing all of our unemployment systems. This grant will go hand in hand with our other unemployment system upgrade," said Steffen.
The grant awarded $164 million to 49 states for the purpose of improving their unemployment compensation systems' infrastructures.
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